European meetings on the upswing

Thu, 2005-07-28 14:43

Sounds like European meetings and incentives are looking up these days. According to this item on the latest IMEX Quarterly Barometer of Business Tourism Confidence,

Findings this quarter (to June) indicate that nearly 76% of buyers and agencies expect that their demand will grow during the next year. Over 18% forecast that this will be â€˜significantly upâ€™, with that of the balance, â€˜slightly upâ€™. This combined total contrasts with equivalent recent proportions of 69% (July 2004), 63% (November 2004), and 60% (February 2005). The underlying pattern holds also for budget forecasts with the combined figure for anticipated growth currently running at 55%, also a new high.

I like this quote: "Doomthinking is a thing of the past." I wonder if the London bombings will have any impact on the second half of the year, but I kind of doubt it. From everything I've read, they didn't make much of a dent in meetings, other than making some attendees want alternate transportation options.